This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
Queens Birthday Weekend, June 3-6 2005 It started off badly. Huge swells and a bad weather forecast, and then one of the punters withdrew due to ill health meaning a last minute re-shuffle of vegetables and gear (including an MSR stove no one in our group knew how to operate.) This was followed by the freezing bus trip to the cold shelter at Marahau road end. It was not the quiet night expected due to a party at the café that went on until about 3am — accompanied by idling cars being warmed and rewed up as revelers departed. We were beginning to question why we had come away for the weekend — especially the punters who were on their first overnight trip. But things looked up in the morning. Not only were we in the most divine spot — with clean crisp quiet views over the beginning of the Abel Tasman track - we gained a punter. A sick member of the Fits decided to grace us with her presence — and with open arms we welcomed her, germs and all, because she came with stove and zucchini.
On queue, our water taxi came to get us — on the back of the tractor. In we hopped, and our adventure began with a bonus wildlife spotting tour on the way to dropping the Mediums and us at Totaranui. We had some time to kill because we were waiting for a low tide to cross the estuary, so we casually meandered into the wilderness after some repacking, munching, feet drying, sun screen application and taking the obligatory “before” photos.
We were off — we enjoyed the most fabulous scenery, walking along golden sand beaches, with stunning views and plenty of time to enjoy them. The sun was warm, and we had all day to get to Bark Bay Hut. We had a low tide crossing of Awaroa Estuary, a stop at Awaroa Hut for a leisurely lunch, and then onwards towards our destination — passing by Anchorage Lodge where the offer of a hot beverage beckoned.
With another low tide crossing at Onetahuti beach to come, and the limited hours of daylight remaining, there was some debate about the wisdom of lingering for lattes in the comfort of the Lodge. The party split into two — those who would risk walking in the dark for a coffee, and those who figured that was too high a price to pay.
While the coffee drinkers easily bet the tide at Onetahuti, we did not all beat the descending darkness. Luckily itis a wide open and very easy track as three of us ended walking with one headlamp due to equipment failure in two torches. This added a new layer of excitement, usually reserved for more difficult tramps.
Bark Bay Hut was very conducive to social interaction, and the group got to know one another over some cheese and crackers as we huddled around the gas fire. We began preparations for the evening meal and everyone was vying to get rid of whatever vegetables they were carrying. There was a slight hitch in the meal plan because the feta was not available for the pasta sauce, so we thought it best to have the meal with the coriander in it the first night instead.
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Normally, this herb would not sway the order of meal or rate a mention. It was the freshness of the herb that renders it meritorious. We needed to eat it that day to save Clinton carrying it further because it was still growing in the punnet, dirt and all, and he had carried it in one hand, in a plastic shopping bag all day — much to the amusement of the other punters. Never has an herb been so fresh on a tramp. Itis just a shame that some punters could not enjoy the full fresh flavour of said herb, as the Thai curry was a little too hot for some. Consequently, Kirsten got to carry a half full billy of couscous for the rest of the trip.
The plan for day two was to idle along to Anchorage Hut, and take in side trips. The view coming along this part of the track was cause for lots of stopping and photographing for some member of the group, and we all reconvened for a sunny beach picnic at the north end of Torrent Bay. Some of the group headed straight for the hut and then back out to Cleopatra’s Poo!, while another headed up towards Holyoake Clearing, and others took a few side routes on the way to the hut. Clinton & the coriander! But all enjoyed the sunshine especially Rachel - who was brave/ crazy enough to go for a dip in the sea, and Jane who was sunbathing on Anchorage beach from the luxury of a thermarest fashioned into a beach chair. The day came to a close with a delicious two-course dinner, and a walk along the beach under a clear starlit sky. It was so still and quiet - we could not have been anywhere better. That night, the group was split amongst both bunkrooms — and both had eventful nights. In one, the fire alarm went off a twice during the night (the first time because no one followed instructions to open a window, and battery failure set it beeping incessantly a few hours later!) Meanwhile, the other room occupants were kept awake by snoring noises that one punter described as reminiscent of a stoat mating.
Next morning, most of the group headed out for a look at Pitt Head and found the views were worth the extra effort. We all had an easy stroll out to meet the other groups back at Marahau in good time for a picnic before the return bus trip to Picton.
While we again suffered some rough seas on the return journey — the overall trip was definitely worth it as not only did we have great company, good food and easy walking, we also enjoyed sun and balmy temperatures while the rest of NZ endured fy : ; ; a really cold winter blast. And the best bit RE - Wve was we had the track pretty much to We finished! ourselves, If you have ever wanted to walk the Abel Tasman but have been put off by thoughts of crowds, you should consider doing this walk over Queen's Birthday or any other winter weekend. Written by: Yvette Cehtel and Caroline Dodson
Punters: Caroline, Christina, Clinton, Frank, Jane, Kirsten, Rachael, Sue, Yvette